Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants.
– The Bible
Month: July 2015
10 years.
It will be 10 years this September. I cannot believe it.
I don’t write this easily. Even though I have faithfully written about the simple ways life encourages us, 3 times a week for 2 1/2 years, it doesn’t mean I do not still feel the complexity of deep heartache.
It’s just that now, I’m not gasping for air.
In the early days and months, I wrote so much. My heart was hemorrhaging. My heart was injected with poison and it needed to come out – my son’s death and some events that followed with people who should have known better.
I just don’t know how 10 years went by so quickly.
Christopher
moon shadows.
Sometimes, all we need is a good night’s sleep.
Things have a way of looking better in the morning.
scripture friday.
eternal life.
Life does not end here on earth.
Just because we do not see beyond what we do not fully understand, does not mean life will not continue on when life ends on earth.
I am inspired by men and women who lived throughout the centuries who had an understanding of knowing life was not just about here and now. They lived with an assurance of eternal life. They carried pain with strength and dignity. They believed in something greater than themselves.
How about you?
predictability.
The grass does fade.
The flowers do fall.
But they come back in the spring!
Once again, God speaks to us through his creation, doesn’t he? Every morning we get a fresh start to bloom again.
And the constant, predictability of the grass turning green and flourishing again tells us God can be trusted.
Has life become faded and flowerless?
Wait.
Even death brings the promise of eternal life.
scripture friday.
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.
– The Bible
simple things.
I walk almost everyday. Usually 2-3 miles in the morning and occasionally some in the evening.
The route is typically the same. But every time, I see something new.
Sometimes, it is a new wildflower that bloomed. Sometimes, it’s just the way the sun is shining. Clinging dew drops sparkle in morning sun. Flowers softly glow in the afternoon.
Life is like that.
How does the light shine on your life? Do you even notice?
Because even on cloudy days, the familiar can take on a subtle, yet beautiful appearance. Colors feel more meaningful against the gray.
Let the simple things quiet the complicated things that crowd into your thoughts.
Simple things make you peaceful.
scripture friday.
Jesus wept.
-The Bible
emotions.
God gave us emotions. Sadness is an emotion that God has, too.
I know people who are over-the-top positive or optimistic to the point of being unrealistic. Call it faith, positive thinking, or luck – but this kind of thinking is just as bad as people who live in sadness, discouragement, and self-pity.
With God’s help, our emotions can be controlled.
God knows sadness is a part of our life. Otherwise he wouldn’t tell us not to replay the video of difficult situations in our minds over and over and over again. He tells us to find something good to let our mind dwell upon.
… whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.
This isn’t magic.
It isn’t avoiding reality.
It’s accepting that God knows how he made us and what works.
